So after a couple days with the Gear, I've come to understand it a bit better. Still not super impressed with the navigation, but I hear that could be improved with a Bluetooth controller.
The interface on several apps is really light years ahead of Cardboard in terms of design, but I feel like Cardboard has a better navigation scheme using a reticule and head tracking because holding your hand up to the visor like Cyclops without blasting things ruins the illusion a bit (obvious game idea).
But the comfort and lack of gestural options does prevent you from doing things you wouldn't do to interact with objects and space like moving your head side to side or staring at something to get to a cut scene as in Cardboard. Also, due to the way Gear sits on your face, it's completely immersive making you lose yourself in the virtual worlds.
One thing I will say about the porn I've sampled is that as usual, porn directors suffer from an incredible lack of imagination. You would think studios like Naughty America would think a little more outside the box than just having more silicone than their competitors, but really that's the only distinction between them and the other low budget production companies out there doing it. First off, nearly all porn is shot 180 degrees rather than using a 360 cam. This means you always have to reorient your body to the porn rather than it following your eyes or displaying in the direction you're looking. What would be smarter (albeit pricier to shoot) would be either to have the camera in uncommon places like on one of the participants stomach or between a performer's legs or to have 4 couples engaging at various 90 degree angles. VR Porn desperstely needs its Citizen Kane.
On another note, viewing the Web or Netflix on Gear is amazing. It's very cool to read comics and I watched Snowpiercer there which was fun. Navigability on both apps needs work; and here I really prefer Cardboard, but the experience manages to make you forget where you are in the real world.
The biggest success is a game called Darknet where you play a hacker. The creator claims this is a working VR interface to do hacking, but that could just be marketing hype. Still, I got lost in the game for an hour. Simple, but amazingly immersive puzzle game.
Still plodding through. There are probably less than 100 apps; maybe only 25 good ones. I'm hoping developers get into it, but cross support with oculus should help.
The interface on several apps is really light years ahead of Cardboard in terms of design, but I feel like Cardboard has a better navigation scheme using a reticule and head tracking because holding your hand up to the visor like Cyclops without blasting things ruins the illusion a bit (obvious game idea).
But the comfort and lack of gestural options does prevent you from doing things you wouldn't do to interact with objects and space like moving your head side to side or staring at something to get to a cut scene as in Cardboard. Also, due to the way Gear sits on your face, it's completely immersive making you lose yourself in the virtual worlds.
One thing I will say about the porn I've sampled is that as usual, porn directors suffer from an incredible lack of imagination. You would think studios like Naughty America would think a little more outside the box than just having more silicone than their competitors, but really that's the only distinction between them and the other low budget production companies out there doing it. First off, nearly all porn is shot 180 degrees rather than using a 360 cam. This means you always have to reorient your body to the porn rather than it following your eyes or displaying in the direction you're looking. What would be smarter (albeit pricier to shoot) would be either to have the camera in uncommon places like on one of the participants stomach or between a performer's legs or to have 4 couples engaging at various 90 degree angles. VR Porn desperstely needs its Citizen Kane.
On another note, viewing the Web or Netflix on Gear is amazing. It's very cool to read comics and I watched Snowpiercer there which was fun. Navigability on both apps needs work; and here I really prefer Cardboard, but the experience manages to make you forget where you are in the real world.
The biggest success is a game called Darknet where you play a hacker. The creator claims this is a working VR interface to do hacking, but that could just be marketing hype. Still, I got lost in the game for an hour. Simple, but amazingly immersive puzzle game.
Still plodding through. There are probably less than 100 apps; maybe only 25 good ones. I'm hoping developers get into it, but cross support with oculus should help.
